In Horse Harmony

My friend Anna and I interviewed the most extraordinary and courageous woman today. She lives in Zimbabwe, Africa. Her life there is beyond what most of us can even imagine…most of us would have a difficult time believing that the experiences she has on a daily basis still go on in this world we live in. There she is, living a life that seems unreal for anyone to choose; and yet each day she makes the conscious choice to stay, to live to the fullest, to make a difference, to be in the moment.

To me, Tessa (the name she chose for herself for the interview as it would be too dangerous to divulge her real name) is a modern day bodhisattva. She is an enlightened being…walking her simple truth every day, without an ounce of blame or judgement. She is an enlightened being…so very in touch with her humility as she shares her story only to follow it up with her feelings that she’s not doing anything so special and that she wishes there was so much more she could do.

Through Tessa’s experiences in Zimbabwe she has come to know the true meaning of life. Many of us seek for this our whole lives, not ever really knowing if we’ve found it or not. Many of us have glimpses of these special keys to the universe as it were. Tessa lives them daily. Such profound simplicity of truths flow from her mouth like water gently caressing a rock to it’s perfect smoothness moment to moment.

Tessa has seen starvation, murder and countless other horrific situations in her immediate periphery. She shared that through the challenging lessons Zimbabwe is providing her she has learned the realness of living in the moment. She explained that in her life in Zim there truly is nothing else…to waste one’s time anywhere beyond the immediate moment is simply that, a waste of time, an illusion.

She shared the importance for her of being aware that she has every thing she could ever need. She has a family to love, who loves her dearly. Why would she need anything else, she poses? When people look at Tessa’s situation they often remark, “why does she stay?”. Tessa’s response is, “Why would I leave? Just to have another choice of the kind of bread I can eat? I have bread; that is enough. Why would I leave, to build wealth? This is immaterial. I have every thing I need. I have my family, whom I love…and they love me. Why would I leave when I know that I am choosing to live every day from my heart in Zimbabwe. I am not choosing out of fear, out of obligation. I am consciously choosing because in my heart, in my gut it’s what feels right.”

A day later I still find myself in a certain state of peace and bliss after talking with Tessa on the phone. When I reflect on the way I feel I think it’s interesting. I could feel devastated, hopeless as it’s absolutely tragic what Tessa’s living; and I know that if I felt that, I would be doing Tessa a great disservice as her intention would never be to have anyone feel sorry for her. She wants the world to wake up, as so many of us do…and we are, one slow step at a time. Tessa said that she loves and appreciates every one’s prayers and good thoughts. She believes firmly in the power of prayer and knows without a doubt that it’s because of this that she is able to get up every day and make the difference that she chooses to make. She knows that if she gets too caught up in the enormity of the world situation…or even the vastness of the challenges in Zimbabwe alone that it could weaken her; she could get sucked into feeling hopeless and helpless. Instead she focuses on what is right outside her door where there’s a neighbor with children who haven’t eaten for days.

Tessa is a horse person at heart. Some years ago she started a horse rescue as a way to blend her passions for horses and for making a difference. She shared bright stories that inspire her to continue on her chosen path. She told us of the countless horses she has saved from starvation, from being left in the bush to die–tied to a tree at the mercy of lions or other. Tessa told us of the many horses she’s saved from the hands of abuse and cruelty, many because their people just don’t know any better…some from people who very well know better and choose for some godforsaken unknown reason to seemingly take out their burdens on their horses. The name “Tessa” that she chose for herself during the interview was the name of a brutally abused horse who was not able to heal and has crossed from this world. The interview and this article are dedicated in tribute to “Tessa”, the horse who gave her life and remains forever in the heart of this very special sister in Zimbabwe.

The miraculous ways that Tessa is able to continue to do this work in her words are beyond her. She again affirms that it is the prayers and support from all those around the world who care that make the difference. When she finds herself in dire straights, not knowing where her next loaf of bread will come from, much less say feed and medication for the horses, an angel appears with exactly what she needs. She trusts that she is cared for and has faith beyond measure that as long as she is grateful and lives from her heart that the rest is taken care of.

When I expressed gratitude to Tessa for the gifts of wisdom she so generously and lovingly brings to the planet, to each of us through the stories she shared I could feel her blush. With such humility and grace she again replied that she didn’t feel she was doing anything special…just living in the moment and doing what she could to make a difference.

The love that I feel for my new sister in Zimbabwe is amazing and deep. I am so blessed to have met her, to know her as my neighbor on this planet. I am forever grateful to Tessa for sharing her story with us. Tessa assumed a certain level of risk by talking to us. She put fear aside once again as her heart was saying YES!

May we all listen to our hearts, be in the moment and say YES when it feels right! As Tessa shared, if we could all just do these things, the world would be a brighter, better place. I agree with every ounce, every fiber of my being. Thank you, Tessa for your being-ness…for the bright light that is your soul shining for all the world. You are an inspiration. You bring hope. You are the Peace and the Light and the Love that this world needs and you so gracefully bring the rest of us to those very qualities within ourselves.

**Author’s note: Tessa’s interview will be available to listen to on IN HORSE HARMONY during the month of February ‘08.

We did a bit of research following the interview and discovered that the inflation rate in Zimbabwe at the time of this posting (1-4-08) is 12,000%!
And the local exchange rate: 2 million Zimbabwe Dollars = 1 US Dollar!! Unbelievable.

At this time Tessa has no money of her own and has no way to change that. She is able to receive the loving support of funds to help care for her horses, her family and those around her. If you feel moved to support Tessa in this way please send an email to: debra[at]soulitude.com and I’ll assist you in doing so; Tessa and her family would deeply appreciate it!

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